Treutlen County, Georgia
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county Treutlen County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the southern portion and Magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,406.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Soperton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Treutlen County is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which takes place during the first weekend in November.
History
Before colonization, the area was home to the Muscogee.<ref name="cooksey-nge"/> Following the American Revolution, the location's wiregrass (Aristida stricta) attracted settlers, and a timber industry began to develop around the area's longleaf pine forests, supporting occupations from cabinetmaking and milling to turpentine and other naval stores production.<ref name="cooksey-nge"/>
The area's landscape made it difficult to build roads, resulting in a sparse population until after the Civil War when railroads arrived. In 1902, the Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad completed its extension from Macon to Vidalia and constructed a railroad depot near Lothair. The newly incorporated town of Soperton quickly outgrew Lothair due to the new rail link.<ref name="cooksey-nge"/>
An official process to create Treutlen County was spearheaded by Neil L. Gillis, known as the "father of Treutlen County" due to his efforts. The state constitutional amendment to create Treutlen County was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on AugustTemplate:Nbsp21, 1917, and ratified NovemberTemplate:Nbsp5, 1918, officially making it Georgia's 154th county.<ref name="cooksey-nge">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is made up of former sections of Emanuel and Montgomery counties, and is named for John A. Treutlen,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Georgia's first state governor following adoption of the state Constitution of 1777. By this time, as Soperton had become larger than Lothair, it was the clear choice for county seat.<ref name="cooksey-nge"/>
During the 1920s, a local cotton farmer named James Fowler planted over 7Template:Nbspmillion pine trees across 10,000 acres of land. Fowler worked together with scientist Charles Herty, who developed a process to use pine pulp to create paper.<ref name="cooksey-nge"/>
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Approximately 90% of the county is forested.<ref name="gfc-2019">Template:Cite web</ref>
The western portion of Treutlen County, west of Soperton, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the larger Altamaha River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
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- Template:Jct (unsigned designation for I-16)
Adjacent counties
- Emanuel County (northeast)
- Montgomery County (southeast)
- Wheeler County (southwest)
- Laurens County (west)
- Johnson County (northwest)
Communities
City
- Soperton (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,065 | 63.46% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,999 | 31.21% |
| Native American | 19 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 7 | 0.11% |
| Other/Mixed | 146 | 2.28% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 170 | 2.65% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,406 people, 2,490 households, and 1,654 families residing in the county.
Politics
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See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Treutlen County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia
References
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